Editorial: Searching for people who will help

Throughout the country and most especially in Connecticut, we’ll pause on Saturday and take a moment to recall the horrifying events of one year ago.

A gunman entered a school in Newtown, Conn., having already killed his mother. He then opened fire on children and adults. Lives were lost, and a community as well as its nation was ripped open.

In response, we said our hope and prayers were for fulfillment rather than hollowed dreams in light of the many questions, the few answers and numerous pledges.

We’re still hoping and praying.

The number of anniversaries, be it in Newtown or any other place, won’t change that approach. Only our decision to change society, each one of us one by one individually, determines what happens next.

We are a nation with tremendous resolve. We are a nation with incredible capabilities.

And yet, we can be burdensome to ourselves. We struggle mightily when we need to succeed. We are capable of failing to maximize even when we capitalize.

In short, we are human. And we are with freedoms and laws among the best the world has to offer. We love our country and all it stands for, and we are frustrated immensely when we can’t make things work out.

Dialogue began a year ago, or shall we say, restarted. That’s pretty much the nature with incidents involving guns and death. There’s shock, grieving, the dialogue and somewhere after that we bog down.

Blame is a natural. It’s also weak. Assigning blame and pointing fingers is nothing more than saying “not me” and failing to take responsibility.

Our best leaders hear about problems, consider solutions and take actions.

We’re not in search of leaders to fix what went wrong on that terrible Friday from a year ago. They are nowhere to be found. Check the dialogue in the aftermath for proof.

We’re in search of individuals accepting responsibility, who want society to change and are willing to be a part of the movement.

We, each of us individually, make the first step. Others join. We choose how we live our lives, the impact we make on others and what we want as a society.